Download Shara : Convergence of Public Relations (PR) and Marketing: The

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Iranian Public Relations News Network(shara) — Divergent views on where PR should exist are
numerous. Should PR be considered a sub-set of marketing? Should it be distinct from marketing
and a parallel function? Or should it sit under corporate affairs function with wide ranging
responsibilities?
The conversation has always centered on whether the role of public relations is to support
marketing or whether it serves a broader social function. Having been discussed for decades
starting with Richard S. Tedlow in 1979, who studied the history of corporate public relations
from 1900 to 1950, and concluded that the public relations function survived during that half
century because it fulfilled a broader function. The debate has intensified in recent years as both
scholars and practitioners have discussed the relationship of public relations to the concepts of
integrated marketing communication and integrated communication. Philip Kotler and William
Mindak outlined five alternative arrangements in their studies – (a) PR and marketing to operate
as separate but equal functions; (b) both as equal but overlapping functions – sharing product
publicity and customer relations; and public relations as a ‘watchdog’ on the social responsibility
of marketing; (c) marketing as the dominant function; (d) public relations as the dominant
function; (e) and marketing and public relations as a converged function.
In current times the debate intensifies when one analyses the way some of the world’s largest
organisations structure themselves. Often the communications leader functions as a part of the
broader marketing team, in others the communications team functions as a parallel function
reporting into the CEO. Whilst in some, the corporate communications leader goes beyond the
CEO and reports directly to the company Board.
Diving deeper, there are several factors which drive these choices: some of these include the
nature of business itself, the complexity of the sector, the regulatory or social scrutiny that an
organisation has to deal with and the maturity levels within the organisation. In case of B2C
brands within FMCG organisations, each department is singularly fixated toward creating
highest level of engagement with the consumer; aligning PR with marketing is a natural choice.
In the B2B space, marketing is more one on one, and role of mass communication for creating
revenues is limited. In these cases, PR is often a separate function, critical in building a
supportive environment for the business to thrive by helping manage stakeholders rather than
clients. For companies in highly sensitive or regulated areas, and those dealing with natural
resources or the environment, PR assumes the role of public affairs working closely with the
legal counsel. Generally, for most organisations in the middle, we witness a process of maturing
of sorts – where PR has evolved, from being an extended arm of marketing to a full-fledged
separate function reporting into the CEO. Growing needs of organisations to demonstrate social
accountability has further added to this shift, with marketing keeping its focus on making the
brand look good, while PR takes on a neutral ground, balancing the for-profit and not-for-profit
objectives of the business.
It is a complex time for communications and marketing professionals today, marked by an
explosion of influencers, a voracious demand for content, one-a-day crises, consolidating media
outlets, and rapidly expanding social media technologies. Although marketing has traditionally
been responsible for the customer, and communications responsible for other stakeholders such
as media, government and investors; this dual-structure may be losing its relevance and
efficiency in today’s marketplace. It’s not a surprise that companies are responding by merging
the communications and marketing functions to respond more quickly and strategically with
“one voice”. This drift is often referred to as converged communications, integrated
communications and hybridized communications.
This trend has been vindicated by a recent global study conducted by Weber Shandwick titled
Convergence Ahead: The Integration of Communications and Marketing. A qualitative research
involving in-depth telephone interviews with chief communications and marketing officers
(CCMOs or CMCOs) of leading global organisations who provided insight into convergence
today and conveyed that convergence is fast developing into a trend. The rate of growth of chief
communications officers with marketing oversight is on the rise (up 35% since 2012).
The findings from the study identified a number of accelerators behind this trend of integration.
Among the most pervasive is the role of digital media, content creation and technology play in
convergence. Social media and digital technologies have blurred the lines between marketing
and communications and these newly integrated roles are better aligned to meet the demands of
an ever-changing, increasingly complex and data-driven media environment. Another factor
behind the growing convergence is the rising inter-dependence between brand and corporate
reputation. CCMOs have found integration invaluable to initiatives involving marketplace
repositioning, as well as reputation recovery. Managing larger organisations requires strong
coordination, often across regional markets and business units. The integration of
communications and marketing demonstrates that there are many factors to take into account
when deciding to merge the two, but CCMOs generally agree that the changes in the media
environment will increasingly demand organisations re-evaluate the alignment between the two
functions. Moving forward, this new trend of convergence will impact entire industries and has
the potential to transform the economy as a whole.
In the final analysis, the reasons for convergence are embedded in the common ground that both
PR and marketing have operated on in the past – both have been major external functions for
large organisations; both functions start their planning and analysis from the point of view of
satisfying external groups; both heavily rely on stakeholder insights to find points of tension and
communication; and both need to create engagement with their stakeholders in a credible manner
to create a win-win situation. The only difference visible was that while marketing relied on
having full control on the message and medium through paid channels, PR was managed to
create results through conviction. In a world of collapsing media structures and democratisation
of views through the advent of digital and social mediums, having full control ceases to be a
reality, and skills of the PR leaders have become more relevant in the creation of the end impact.
Similarly, PR too needs more complex tools today; to track stakeholder insights and open
channels of communication, for which rich media collateral requiring sophisticated production
support are imperative, something which was previously the bastion of marketing colleagues.
Combining these skills offer an obvious strong common force.
Despite the promise, challenges abound in making convergence work. The foremost being
changing the mindset and culture crystallized over years. It is not as simple as merging the two
functions, fiefdoms and personal priorities would persist. Finding experienced staff with dual
oversight is another big challenge; for those who are able to embrace the new form, there is a
steep learning curve. Lastly, the biggest challenge is RoI and distribution of a central budget
which inevitably comes under greater scrutiny with change.
“Change before you have to” – Jack Welch, GE
“Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right” – Steve Jobs, Apple Inc.
http://pitchonnet.com/blog/2015/01/22/convergence-public-relations-pr-marketing-road/